Get to know the team properly
Three sprints have passed. Time flies indeed. Everything goes by very quickly when you’re surrounded by the people who give you comfort and joy. It’s true!
As a team called pepeel (A8 group) in PPL course, we‘ve been developing an application in those three sprints, or let’s say almost three months. But not just that, we’ve also been developing some connection that I could differ the tension between the first time the team was made with the current situation.
A team can be defined as two or more people with different skills and different tasks, who work together on a common project, service, or goal. A proven way to build a successful team is to assemble a group with a stellar mix of knowledge and expertise. This applies in a term that we called Team Dynamics.
What is Team Dynamics?
Based on teamtechnology.co.uk, team dynamics are the unconscious, psychological forces that influence the direction of a team’s behavior and performance. They are like undercurrents in the sea, which can carry boats in a different direction to the one they intend to sail.
What makes a team have a good dynamics team is the team itself. How can we create an atmosphere in the team so that it can increase productivity, each member is able to help each other in solving problems, work with each other, and move in one direction to achieve goals.
How can we make our team be a dynamic team? Is it just like a flow that will pass without we realize? Based on intellectsoft.net, there are five main stages of group dynamics, which are:
- Forming
In this stage, we are currently not knowing each other very well, it’s the perfect time to observe and adjust. - Storming
After that, we get into the storming stage which involves confrontation among the members. We will discuss how to achieve goals and what can be done by each individual. - Norming
Now, the members arrive at some collective decision and agree on how to reach a common goal. - Performing
This is a productive stage. The tasks are assigned, everybody knows their mission and role, and they start doing their job. - Adjourning
Our project has finished. Now, the team surely wants to celebrate their success.
Now, my team has entered the performing stage and we already facing struggles together. In this post, I will share our journey into social cues and interactions to build good team dynamics.
Building Good Team Dynamics
There are some important things to be pointed out for our team capacity building and I will elaborate it one-by-one followed by my experiences in each section.
Get to Know Each Member Personally
Do you know that I was a complete stranger with each person in pepeel before PPL actually begins? Wait, “a complete stranger” sounds harsh, let me rephrase the sentence. Do you know that I was not close with each person in pepeel before PPL actually begins? Many people may already know this, but yes, the team I’m in right now is actually not the team I was expecting to be with in taking PPL course. It was such an unexpected decision for me to be joining this team.
It all started when Kak Irene greeted me on Line. She said that she would love to have me join her team. And I was like ?????. That’s literally the best representation I could give about my reaction I had the first time I read the notification that popped on my lock screen.
The truth is, I know Kak Irene, but we’ve never talked or had a single conversation before at that time. So I thought, the idea of her asking and giving this kind of opportunity never comes in mind. But, after several considerations, I finally made the decision. I agreed to be joining the team in which the members aren’t my “everyday” friends.
In the beginning, you could say things were a little awkward, just like other new relationships. We started our first team communication on Line then finally decided to move onto Telegram.
We still maintain our relationship with many activities, online and also offline. We also like to show our moments and journey in our media social. Check and follow @pe2el on Instagram.
Talk about Things Outside Of work
As time went on and us meeting almost every day, that initial awkwardness in the beginning has completely disappeared and is replaced with a familiar sense of camaraderie. We like to entertain each other and talk about things outside of the project to maintain our sanity and keep us updated with each other. This kind of interaction frequently happens on a daily basis.
Besides making new friends in the development group, we also got to know our client (Mas Agung), product owner (Kak Lila), and scrum master (Kak Aci). Those people are very supportive of our work and we’ve created a good working relationship with them. I would say, those relationships don’t need to be exclusive. Just a small act would make so many changes.
One time, I came up with an idea of sharing coffees with everyone that’s being involved in Sprint Review 1. Nothing big, just a glass of Kopi Kenangan coffee. Luckily, my teammates all agreed with my idea. Then, at the end of Sprint Review 1, Kak Irene and I were giving out the coffees to specified people, such as Pak Hafiyyan, Kak Aligar (another representative from FHUI), Kak Lila, and Kak Aci. The coffee wasn’t intended for anything, it was just an act on showing our gratitude towards them for being supportive. From there, I think we’ve established a good working relationship.
Make an Effort Within Your Group to Take Turns speaking
Before PPL starts, my team and I wanted to go out as a team. We thought, why don’t we ask Kak Aci to tag along. Turns out, that was such a pleasant time to get to know more about each individual, including Kak Aci. We shared personal stories, weaknesses, and capabilities in working as a team. Fun fact: our main development group on Telegram has Kak Aci as a member. Until now, we managed to keep being professional or even joke around with her there. Thank you Kak Aci for always giving support to my team!
Understanding People and Lending a Hand When Needed
Part of the core of building a good team dynamics is being able to understand people. This could be achieved just by be quiet and listen to what others have in mind. A simple act to say but hard to do. Try to avoid interrupting someone when they’re talking. Just listen to the full situation until they have expressed what they’re feeling.
Don’t forget to follow-up conversation with a personal answer. Many people confuse the difference between sympathy and empathy. To sympathize is to feel for the other person. To empathize is to view the other person’s perspective from his or her own shoes while not passing judgment. Sympathetic statements originate from you, such as, “I’m sorry to hear about it,” or “My sincerest apologies.” Alternatively, empathic statements are aimed toward the other person, such as, “You must feel so proud!” If you want to turn the tide of relationships, try empathy.
During these times, it’s better to have compassion for what the other person is going through. I ask if there’s anything I can do to help. If it’s regarding the application technicalities, I try to help based on my understanding or find sources that can help them.
But if they need emotional comfort, I always give them care and support just to show that they’re not alone going through this.
Try to Be as Self-aware about Your Own Imperfections as Much as You Are about Your Co-workers
It’s easier to forgive someone for being late when we knew what he/she was distracted by, but it also meant the team made space for other people’s mistakes. Our team always trying to understand something with reason, it’s a bad judgment to judge someone when we don’t know their reason. With this, we make each other comfortable and trust is being built between us.
Not just caring about others’ weaknesses, check your own imperfections in being an individual within the team. Don’t push yourself over your own limit. Try to care about yourself as you do to others. It shows that you’re comfortable with the environment you’re working with and has no shame in showing what you’re not capable of doing.
Servant Leader
As a servant leader, you’re a “servant first” — you focus on the needs of others, especially team members before you consider your own. You acknowledge other people’s perspectives, give them the support they need to meet their work and personal goals, involve them in decisions where appropriate and build a sense of community within your team.
In pepeel, we adapt servant leadership for all team members. So we have put the needs of the team members first and helps our members to perform as highly as possible, and almost like we’re a democracy, we do everything together, and we discuss everything as a team.
One of my experiences being a servant leader can be seen when I took an action to open a discussion about having another sprint planning. Although we already had a sprint planning at the beginning of the Sprint, I feel like everyone is still confused with the task they’re going to do for the rest of the Sprint. You could say that this sprint planning was intended to make each task clearer for achieving everyone’s personal goals.
Why does this particular action qualify as servant leadership? The simplest reason is that it would have been much easier for me or even other team members to stay quiet and/or simply ignore our task’s detail and purpose until someone opens their mouth by the end of the Sprint. Rather than taking the easy road, I chose the harder road because it would be more beneficial to the others in the team I was serving, even if everyone did not realize it at the time.
This leads to higher engagement, more trust, and stronger relationships with team members and clients. Servant leadership is not a leadership style or technique as such. Rather it’s a way of behaving that you adopt over the longer term.
Overall, be yourself at work. You make sure that the team knows they were assembled for their personality as well as their skills. Building a good team dynamics does takes time and practice, especially for introverts. Eventually, you’ll have the so-called “charisma” to open more doors and more opportunities.
Just take the first step.
That’s all from me! Thank you for reading!
